MY APROACH TO THE SPIRITUAL LIFE VIA SPEAKING TREE...PART--I

“The success of our lives and our futures depends on our individual motivation & determination.” Our life is in our hands. No matter where we are now, no matter what has happened in our life, we can begin to consciously choose our thoughts, and we can change our life. There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of our life can change! Unfortunately, despite all our technological advances and material prosperity, we have no peace of mind and live in fear and anger in the midst of increasing violence. We are caught in the lurid dream that the pursuit of pleasure will lead us to joy, the pursuit of profit will lead us to security, and most of us have no other purpose of life than this driving urge to bring about our own private fulfillment even if it is at the expense of other persons. In this society we have learned to strive for the best of everything. But what most of us don’t realize is that accumulating things doesn’t ensure that happiness will fallow.

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In fact, it usually just adds an unnecessary amount of stress and frustration.

“The Speaking Tree” in my turbulent life emerged as solace and source of inspiration for me; I owe it a great debt of gratitude. It has provided me non-denomination approach to spirituality. Indeed, for me ‘The Speaking Tree’ has grown to become a place of retreat and contemplation of my life. The articles published in this column of ‘Times of India’ written both by highly erudite and unknown persons evoke my higher consciousness. I feel awe and humble in front of their immense academic and spiritual knowledge. It made me only too aware of my inadequacies as I fumbled and struggled to understand my life.

The articles of ‘The Speaking Tree’ being published since 1995, to great extent transformed me and changed my approach towards life and I started endeavoring to live the spiritual life. I realized that happiness is a much misunderstood concept. It is some kind of a utopian concept and an illusion. I started believing, life in true form is a mixed bag of pain and happiness at every moment. And pain in fact, is actually appealing at a higher level. One should go through pain. Because it purges us, it prepares us, it helps us evolve, it helps us relate to so many people who are also suffering. Haven’t we read the Buddha based his way of life on the fact of sufferings? One becomes better person, because one has more empathy, more understanding. Happiness is very restrictive. It closes one within oneself. Just look at our literature, even going back to Ramayana. Two birds were on a tree, a hunter killed one of them so the other died of sorrow. When Valmiki saw it, he wrote the first verse of the Ramayana on a lotus leaf. So the first verse of our first-ever written epic stared from pain. That is why pain is so great. As I understand, in spiritual way the idea of ‘happiness’: “It is state of mind. One can be happy for nothing, or unhappy for nothing. It is not about the pleasure of life but about ones spirit and priorities of life.”

On the other hand, I now believe suffering is a blessing in disguise. We are afraid of suffering, because we do not want to suffer. However, suffering is a means of realizing and exterminating the evil of karma. One should welcome it just as we welcome an operation when your appendix or any other organ is inflamed. According to Swami Satyanada Saraswati , “There are people who do not like suffering, therefore they feel it more. There are those who enjoy suffering, thereby they are able to increase their tolerance and will.”

In my approach to spiritual life, I realized:

“Life is rugged journey,over hills and plains and dreary desserts. But say not “Die” in struggle of life. Be brave and cheerful all through the battle;Husband your strength and resources. Be valiant in the battle of life, keep calm in the hour of adversity……

Yogi M. K. Spencer in “How I Found God.”

Despite all odds, life is very much worth it. Some of the odds may seem like bummers. We ought to learn to live positively. By positive living, I imply living for purpose, for growth, and for further evolution. I believe a “positive thinker” sees no conflict with nature, which is manifestation of the ‘Supreme Being’, rather he finds it conducive for his further growth. I consider the word positive as a symbol of growth in a longer sense. One who lives a life of positive thinking has the capacity to face all situations with courage and fortitude. Note: This is part-I in a 2 part series.